Metallica Announce Title and Release Date for New Album, ‘Hardwired …To Self-Destruct’

Metallica have finally announced Hardwired … To Self-Destruct, the long-awaited follow-up to 2008’s Death Magnetic. The two-disc album, which will include nearly 80 minutes of music, is due Nov. 18. You can listen to the title track above; the cover art and track listing are below.

Hardwired … To Self-Destruct "represents the next phase of our journey as Metallica and we are so excited to share it with you," the band says on its website. The album is available for pre-order now in a variety of configurations, including 12 songs on a double CD, vinyl or digital download, as well as a deluxe edition that takes fans back to the riffs that sparked the album.

The arrival of Hardwired … To Self-Destruct ends a lengthy journey for Metallica. They issued Lulu – a heavily criticized collaboration with Lou Reed – back in 2011 and then Through the Never, a soundtrack for their 2013 concert film. Other than that, the only other new music was 2014's "Lords of Summer," a stand-alone track that will be included on the deluxe edition of the new album.

Metallica first provided photographic evidence of their work on Hardwired … To Self-Destruct back in January 2015. A picture uploaded to Instagram showed bassist Robert Trujillo recording in front of a mixing desk, with the caption “Rockin along.” James Hetfield confirmed they were still at work on the album last October.

Hardwired … To Self-Destruct was produced by Greg Fidelman, along with Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. The drummer earlier described the record as "more diverse" and "less frenetic" than Death Magnetic.